Report to: Executive Member for Culture and Leisure 20 September Written by: Michael Gunton Archives and Development Manager

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1 Report to: Executive Member for Culture and Leisure 20 September 2007 From: Head of Culture Written by: Michael Gunton Archives and Development Manager Report on: Archive Storage Issues 1. Purpose of the Report: The purpose of this report is to update the Executive Member on issues relating to the storage of Portsmouth Museums and Records Service s archive collections, especially in the context of the ongoing monitoring of archive storage by The National Archives, following their inspection visit in Recommendations: That the report be approved That AMS undertake to monitor the Records building (at times to be agreed between AMS and the Museums and Records Service) and formally report their findings That the possibility of acquiring sea containers to create additional storage space be further researched That work towards greater collaboration and harmonisation of services between the Records Office and the Local Studies Library continue That the issue of transfer of records relating to areas outside Portsmouth be researched and a report with specific proposals be brought later this year That the extension of the Research Service to include Local Studies and Local History enquiries be researched and a report with specific proposals be brought later this year That the issue of charging for the storage of specific categories of archives be researched and a report with specific proposals be brought later this year 3. Background The Records building is a former NAAFI building. In 1960 it was acquired for use by the newly created Portsmouth City Records Office for archive storage, and in 1977 the Records Office search room, staff

2 accommodation and conservation workshop also moved to the building. In 1994/5, as part of the merger of the Records Office and Museums Service, the search room and staff accommodation moved into the main Museum building; the former search room became the storage area for shop stock, and staff accommodation became the IT technician s office and working space. Museum paper collections (chiefly Local and Military History) were transferred to the archive strong rooms. The Records building thus now fulfils a cross-service role as well as its main records storage role The National Archives: Inspections and Assessments. In recent years, the National Archives has become the national authority on standards for archive storage, documentation and access, and is active in developing benchmarks and national standards, as well as assessing conformity with these standards in record offices across the UK. Teams from the National Archives visit record offices at five-yearly intervals to approve them as suitable places of deposit: formally for public records under the Public Records Acts but in practice this inspection has evolved into a more comprehensive assessment of storage and access, monitoring the suitability of the storage to comply with fulfilment of national archive legislation (Local Government (Records) Act 1962, Local Government Act 1972 (section 224), Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967, the Manorial Document Rules 1959 and Tithe (Copies of Apportionment) Rules 1960, and the parochial Registers and Records Measure 1978 (amended 1992)) These regular visits now sit alongside the Self-Assessment of Archive Services that were carried out for the first time in 2006 and have recently, in a more developed form, in The results of this 2007 assessment will be published in publicly available league tables In their most recent visit (September 2005), the National Archives were particularly concerned by structural issues relating to the Records building, caused by the siting of the building across the moat and fortifications which surrounded Old Portsmouth until the 1870s. The Records building s inadequate foundations have led to movement and significant cracks have appeared in various parts of the building, including Room 1, the Photo Store, and the old conservation workshop. (See attached map) The effective lack of temperature and humidity control in the storage areas: the equipment to control the temperature and humidity in the storage areas is old and largely ineffective. Full replacement of this equipment would be very expensive Effective environmental control is crucial for the long-term preservation of the archives. Without it, records deteriorate, for instance: mould can grow which can lead to the disintegration of all or part of a document; records can become illegible through mould; they can become dry and brittle so that they crumble at the touch.

3 3.1.7 The lack of growth space for new deposits: the archive storage areas are essentially full. Small deposits can be accommodated, but there is no room for anything larger. In practice this means that some deposits are turned away while others, judged essential to take in, are stored in corridors and in similar unsuitable places. However, if the underpinning (see below) is carried out, the old conservation workshop could be racked out and become new storage space.if offered a substantial deposit of archives (e.g. another major bequest) we would now be unable to accept it, even if we judged it crucial to take At their second visit the National Archives team saw the Unicorn building and the Central Library and were briefed on plans for the redevelopment of cultural services in the city. The team were prepared to grant Portsmouth City Records Office provisional recognition on the basis of these plans, but requested six-monthly updates on the above issues (the concerns they had raised and the redevelopment plans). 4. Action to address the above issues In recent years it has always been understood that the work required to put the Records building right would not have sufficiently high priority (and would thus not be supported by Building Services) in the context of the various options for the redevelopment of the CMRO site and services pursued since the mid 1990s. Because of this the solution to the problems of the Records building has been the demolition of the building rather than its refurbishment Following the National Archives visit, and as requested by the National Archives, an independent structural survey was carried out by P.J. Davies Associates Ltd, in which they noted the cracks and other deterioration, and evidence of building settlement In addition to the above structural survey, a condition survey (a fiveyear costing) was produced by AMS, estimating that expenditure of 162,772 would be needed over five years. (It should be noted, however, that this costing does not include the cost of equipment to control the environment) Because of the ongoing exploration of redevelopment options and the assumption of eventual demolition, it has not been seen as worthwhile to undertake anything more than routine maintenance of the Records building. This, however, has been undertaken and routine concerns have been addressed as they have arisen In October 2006 a security audit of the whole City Museum and Records Office site was carried out, and the alarm system for both the Museum building and the Records building was upgraded.

4 4.1.6 In the first part of 2007, because some tiles on the section of the roof above the old conservation workshop had slipped, and as a result of issues which arose as the tiles were replaced, this section of the building was given a new roof The work on the roof has led to renewed discussion of the possibility of underpinning the subsiding part of the building, and an outline quotation of 120,000 (excluding VAT etc) for the work (from AMS) has been received. This matter is under discussion with PCC insurers (the 50k excess ruling would apply) A quotation regarding options for upgrading the environment (temperature and humidity) of the storage areas is awaited It may be possible to create space by transferring records that relate to areas outside Portsmouth to other record offices. A report setting out options and possibilities will be submitted later this year It may be possible to charge for the storage of some categories of records, and research into practice elsewhere has begun. A report setting out options and possibilities will be submitted later this year. 5. Redevelopment options In December 2006 a Spend to Save bid was awarded to enable an appraisal of redevelopment options for the city s cultural services, including the Records Office, to be undertaken HLF and other potential funding bodies require evidence of an open process in the consideration of redevelopment options, which demonstrates real consultation with the public and other stakeholders, and the relevance of the eventual proposed solution to issues arising from the consultation. In this context we are now working with AMH on audience research. The Options Appraisal will soon be underway; the process is led by the Museums & Records Service The outline, preliminary redevelopment time-line (based on the new HLF guidelines for the period ) is as follows: January 2008: Options Appraisal complete Early summer 2008: Submit Stage 1 HLF bid December 2008: December 2009: submitted March 2010: Notification of the HLF s decision Development phase complete and Stage 2 bid Notification of the HLF s decision about our bid

5 April 2010: Implementation begins (to last a minimum of 18 months) October 2012: Implementation complete: Opening! Please note that this time-line is a first, still tentative assessment. It is optimistic, assuming no delays at any point In any redevelopment or alternative to the current archive storage, several issues must be addressed: The new storage must conform with BS5454: 2000, the standard for archive facilities in UK, and thus provide stable temperature and humidity within professionally accepted parameters The new storage must offer adequate growth space: BS5454:2000 recommends space for 20 years growth The new facilities must enable and promote synergies between the cultural services, especially the creation of a new, combined Records Office and Local Studies Library 6. The services offered by Portsmouth City Records Office Despite the storage issues discussed above, the usage of the Records Office and its services has grown in recent years, as the following figures show: s: 05/06: 607; 06/07: 785 Letters: 05/06: 340; 06/07: 320 Telephone enquiries: 05/06: 2020; 06/07: 2056 Visits in person: 05/06: 3841; 06/07: When our 2006 Self-Assessment of Archive Services information was assessed, the Search Room and other public services were rated at 66.5%, against the UK average score of 59.5% In last year s Public Services Quality Group Survey of Visitors to UK Archives, visitors rated the Search Room services as follows: (a) How would you rate the staff, facilities and services at this archive overall: Good/Very Good: 95.9% (b) Quality and appropriateness of the staff s advice: Good/Very Good: 96.5% (c) Helpfulness and friendliness of the staff: Good/Very Good: 97.9%

6 6.1.4 Records Office staff give talks to local groups at venues across the city throughout the year, and for several years have held a successful Search room Open Day. All these activities have helped to promote the Records Office and the services it offers. An expansion of such activities in 2008/9 is currently under discussion The Records Office and the Local Studies Library (in the Central Library) have complementary and in some cases overlapping collections, and members of the public frequently make use of both establishments in the course of their research Monthly interlock meetings are now held, at which Records Office and Local Studies Library staff discuss matters of common concern and possible joint projects, towards the development of joined-up and more comprehensive services and new initiatives A merged Records Office and Local Studies Library would be an important element of any redevelopment plan. The new beacon service would offer: Integrated access to books, archives, images, and sources of information about local history, and potentially also to local history objects Outreach facilities and activities which draw on all the skills and resources of the combined facility Facilities which meet al relevant professional standards for access and collections care Services which evolve as a result of ongoing dialogue with users and potential users, corporate priorities and new thinking across archives, libraries, museums and related sectors Currently a Research Service is operated by the Records Office (as operated by most other record offices in the UK), through which members of the public pay for research to be carried out on their behalf. Similar research is also undertaken by Local Studies Library staff and by the Local History curators and we are now exploring how the Research Service could be extended to include Local Studies and Local History research, ensuring a standard approach and a more consistent service to the public, as well as generating income. Under the new scheme there would be a discount for Leisure Card holders. 7. Interim options As described above, in the medium term the aim is to redevelop the main museum, library and records, with associated stores, in a single building. Interim options can be set out as follows:

7 7.1.2 Relocate. Overarching all the options is the decision either to retain the Records building or to move the archive collections to another interim site. Removal to another site would be costly: for the 2002 HLF bid Pickfords quoted 75k to uplift the archives, 93.6k p.a. for interim storage, and 48k for removal to new permanent new site. While these figures were specific to the plans then envisaged, they give some indication of the likely sums. In addition to the removal costs, there would be costs to fit out the new storage to create a stable environment and to install racking. If a new search room is envisaged on site this would be an additional cost; if it is distant from the storage, transport to and from would have to be factored in. The overall costs would be significant: probably too high for an interim solution, and it would be inappropriate to move to a permanent solution before the overall redevelopment plans have been agreed, or to create something that would sap support from the wider redevelopment plan Retain and repair. Underpinning the old conservation workshop would allow this area to be used for storage: to accommodate archives now stored in corridors etc, and any new deposits, until the long-term redevelopment plans are realised. On one level the money spent on this, even if it can be funded as an insurance claim, would be significant, but it would offer a workable solution until the wider redevelopment happens The remainder of the Records building has been declared sound enough for continued use, and so could be used until new premises are available should the redevelopment proceed. A complete refit of the environmental equipment would be very costly, but improvements could be achieved by siting small dehumidifiers in the strong rooms, as advised by the supplier: there would be a cost but it would be significantly less than a complete refit Additional storage space could be created in the following ways: Changing the use of part of the Records building, e.g. one of the rooms now used for shop stock, or the volunteers/sorting/work room. Since all the space in the building is occupied, this would entail finding new space for the displaced function Sea containers in the grounds. These are used by Hampshire Museums Service: they have electricity and are secure, and cost 3k each. 8. Conclusion The Records building is not at any immediate risk. The Museums and Records Service have been reporting progress to the National Archives on a six-monthly basis as requested in 2005 and, at present, they seem

8 content to allow us to pursue longer-term redevelopment options as a solution to the current problems. Ongoing monitoring is crucial so that if the state of the building deteriorates further, prompt action can be taken AMS will be requested to undertake regular monitoring which is reported formally And finally, here are Ten Great Things about Portsmouth City Records Office 1. The records we hold tell the story of Portsmouth and its people from 1313 to the present 2. People write to the Records Office, and visit us, from all over the world 3. A woman travelled from Barbados to attend the Search Room Open Day in Our services show consistently high user satisfaction levels 5. We work with many other parts of Portsmouth City Council, and with outside agencies, to help and improve the lives of the people of Portsmouth 6. The records occupy over four miles of shelving 7. More and more information about the Records Office collections is available nationally via the A2A website, We regularly send new catalogues for inclusion on the site 166 of our catalogues have been posted there so far 8. We have a unique run of 18 th century Sessions papers, which have been analysed and used for research by a team in Canada volunteers together contribute 3645 hours a year on indexing and similar background tasks 10. The records are a unique record of individuals who have lived in Portsmouth over the centuries we know their names, how they lived, and, in some cases, what they shouted out of the window! City Solicitors comments The City Solicitor is satisfied that it is within the council s powers to approve the recommendations as set out Signed:. Stephen Baily Head of Culture

9 Background list of documents - The following documents disclose facts of matters which have been relied upon to a material extent by the author in preparing this report Letters received from the National Archives following their visit in 2005 (available from Michael Gunton) Structural Inspection Report by P.J.Davies Associates Ltd, 9 December 2005 (text available from Michael Gunton) Condition survey produced by AMS in 2005 (available from Michael Gunton) Security audit of the Museums & Records Office site carried out in October 2006 (available from David Evans, Commercial Manager) Quotation for the underpinning work produced by AMS (available from Michael Gunton) Quotation for upgrading the environment (available from Michael Gunton as soon as received) Self-Assessment of Archive Services 2006 report (available from Michael Gunton) Outline specification of sea containers (available from Michael Gunton) The recommendations set out above were approved/approved as amended/deferred/rejected by the Executive Member on Executive Member for Culture and Leisure